Written in the Stars
by XoChristineXo
Summary: On top of dealing with love, heartbreak, betrayal, deceit, war, and teenage drama, the Marauders, Lily and Rachel also have a secret that no one but Dumbledore can know. A secret that if Voldemort knew, could put them in mortal danger. L/J S/OC R/OC
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Hello there friends! Welcome to my first Harry Potter fanfiction...hope you enjoy! **  
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**Written in the Stars**

Prologue

Albus Dumbledore observed the scene in front of him, amusement playing on his worn, but wise and gentle face. He didn't say a word to stop the bickering between his two top students. Instead, he popped another chocolate frog into his mouth.

Being headmaster had its perks. Watching the petty, yet rather comical teenage drama was one of them—especially when the center of much of Hogwarts' drama sat in his office arguing with one another.

There were James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin of course. The three boys were as different as could be—James was the over confident, yet genuinely nice leader, Sirius the tough, cool daredevil, Remus the studious, kind, hard worker—and yet the three Gryffindors were inseparable. They made up ¾ of the infamous group, _The Marauders_, and other students would do anything to be on good and friendly terms with the most popular boys in the school.

Or at least, a good portion of the student body would. Lily Evans was not included in this portion. She was also currently seated in Dumbledore's office. At least, she had been seated. She was now standing, so that she was closer to James' height as she shouted at him. James was still taller, but it didn't matter how much taller someone was when it came to Lily's expression. Her bright green eyes were ablaze as she glared up at James. _If looks could kill, _Dumbledore thought.

Lily's temper never ceased to amaze Dumbledore. He never would have pegged the graceful and organized Lily Evans as a girl to have a temper as bad as the thunderstorm raging outside the castle walls. Lily normally didn't unleash this fiery side of her personality, but the Marauders brought it out of her. Unlike the majority of the school, and their fellow Gryffindors, Lily couldn't stand the boys. She thought they were cocky, insufferable prats—Dumbledore had heard her shout those very words countless times before—and she never let them get the best of her. However, the boys weren't the only ones Lily had to worry about fighting with.

Rachel Wood, also a 6th year Gryffindor, had grown up with James Potter, and was therefore close with the rest of the Marauders as well. She was very protective of the boys, and as a result, she and Lily loathed each other. Currently, Rachel was being held back by Sirius and Remus so that she wouldn't attack Lily right then and there in the Headmaster's office. Her dirty blonde curls fell out of her messy bun as she struggled to get free, livid that someone was treating her best friend in such an awful manner.

"—Insufferable PRAT!" Dumbledore tuned back in just in time to hear Lily shout the all too familiar words, and he sighed. Lily was an incredibly talented and bright witch, but she needed new insults.

All of them were incredibly talented and bright, however, which was why the five of them were gathered in Dumbledore's office on the first day of their 6th year. And that thought brought Dumbledore back to reality.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat loudly, causing the five teenagers to look at him. "If you're quite finished, I would like to explain to you all why I have asked you to come here," he said, his blue eyes twinkling at the students. They all sat back down somewhat sheepishly, although the tension was clearly still high.

"I'm so sorry, Professor," Lily said timidly. "It won't happen again."

"Yes, it will," Dumbledore said light heartedly. "But it's quite all right."

"You wanted to speak with us?" Remus asked.

"Ah yes. I'll just get to it, since I'm sure you would like to get to bed early before your classes start tomorrow." Dumbledore shifted in his chair so he could look at the teenagers more closely. "As you probably know, the five of you are at the top of your class, and I am very proud of you." The five teenagers smiled widely, amazed to be getting such praise from Dumbledore himself. "There is something that you do not know, however. Your grades and your advanced level of magical performance aren't just a lucky happenstance. "

"What do you mean, Professor?" James asked, ignoring Lily's snide look brought on by his interruption.

"I mean, Mr. Potter, that there is a reason why you all seem to be more magically gifted than the rest of the students at Hogwarts."

"You mean we aren't just better than everyone else?" Sirius smirked. Lily shot him a death glare, but he ignored her. Dumbledore chuckled and said,

"I'm afraid there truly is a reason Mr. Black, but I assure you, it's not disappointing. I assume you have all done research on sorcerers in your studies?"

"Of course!" Lily said, and launched into the definition. "Sorcerers are a more powerful type of witch or wizard. If a wizard is a sorcerer, they officially become so at age 16, although there are signs to indicate their powers before then. Wandless magic comes easily to them, and spells have more power when they come from a sorcerer's wand. They also have special abilities most wizards don't have, and each sorcerer has a different special ability from the others."

"Show off," Sirius muttered. Lily shot him another death glare, but Dumbledore continued before any arguing could begin.

"Very good, Miss Evans. All of that information is quite accurate. Sorcerers aren't extremely rare—we usually have one or two every few years. Hogwarts hasn't seen any sorcerers for a very long while, however, which is why it doesn't surprise me to find five this year." It didn't take long for the news to process in the teenagers' minds, and their eyes widened simultaneously. Rachel was the first to speak.

"You mean…the five of us—we're _sorcerers?" _

"Yes, Miss Wood. Which is why I called you all here today."

"But…_how?_" Remus asked. "I mean, we might be good at our studies, but none of us seem to be incredibly special…no offense guys," he added, seeing as he was the only one who got along with everyone seated around him.

"Mr. Lupin, haven't you noticed that the five of you barely have to study to get full marks? Or that you seem to get spells, charms and potions correct on your first try? Or that when you're angry, you have a harder time controlling your magic than most everyone else?"

"Well, I suppose so, but…"

"There aren't any buts about it. Since you are all 16 now, it is crucial you begin training, so your powers are used correctly. Every Thursday at 7:00PM, I expect you all in my office. The more you learn now, the easier it will be for you to control your powers. You also have to promise me that you won't say a word of this to anyone. Anyone at all—not even your closest of friends. It is a dangerous world outside these walls, and if Lord Voldemort learns that the five of you have powers that could make you even more powerful than he, you will be in great danger. Can I have your word?" There were mutters of 'yes' all around, and Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent. I'll answer any questions you have on Thursday. As of now, you should head off to bed so you can be awake and alert for your classes tomorrow. Good night!"

"Good night, Professor," the teenagers said together. Too shocked to say anything else, they left in silence.

Dumbledore smiled to himself, relaxing back into his chair after they left the room. It would be an interesting year, that was for sure.

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><p><strong>AN: **Well, there's the prologue. Please review! I appreciate criticism and compliments alike, but I will not take a flame without flaming back, so be warned!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"—_so myself and all your professors ask that you are most careful and cautious this summer. Lord Voldemort knows no boundaries, and outside these castle walls, no one is safe." _

James Potter opened his eyes, Dumbledore's parting words still ringing in his ears. Every year prior had ended on a happy note: the winners of the house cup being announced, Dumbledore wishing the best for the graduating 7th years, and wishing everyone else a fun filled summer.

Not this year.

He let his gaze rest on Sirius Black, who was sitting across the train compartment from him. Sirius' grey eyes were hard set, and they reflected the storm he was so intently watching out the small window. The laughter and the carelessness that normally exuded from Sirius was gone from his eyes completely at the moment, and was replaced with a fierceness and a protectiveness that no one would dare cross.

James thought Sirius never lived more up to his name than he had in the past few weeks. His entire family was joining the very force that was bringing fear and death to the wizarding world; the very force that Dumbledore had so very somberly warned them about at the parting feast.

This feast, however, was not a celebration. It was in mourning of the Minister of Magic who had been murdered, along with his wife and 1-year-old son 2 weeks prior. Only his 16-year-old daughter had been left alive, and that was because she had been at Hogwarts when the death eaters had stormed the house and tortured the family inside it, before burning the house to the ground.

James turned his eyes to Rachel, who was sitting next to Sirius. Her eyes were closed tightly and her forehead was creased as she slept restlessly, her head resting inches above Sirius' shoulder. Her father had been Minister for 4 years, and unlike other ministers before him, Darrin Wood fought alongside the aurors in battle. He had been head of the auror department before he had obtained the Minister's title, and had been one of the best aurors in the ministry, along with James' father, Harold. Harold was now the head of the auror department, and he and Darrin had made an extreme dent in the death eater population. Voldemort's wrath knew no ends, however, and he made his plan to attack the minister when they were getting ready to move to a secret, safer location. The defense wards were down as the family was no longer going to be living there, and Voldemort struck.

The entire wizarding world knew someone had betrayed the Woods. But none of them knew who.

James sighed discontentedly. Harold was still an auror, and Darrin's death meant that Harold was most certainly being looked for as well. How long would Harold be safe?

Safe? James rolled his eyes at the thought. No one was safe. The infrequent battles had escalated so much this year that the wizarding world was now considered to be at war. No one was to be trusted.

James didn't completely believe this, however. He looked back at his two friends. James knew he could of course trust them, just as he could trust Remus and Lily. It was amazing how close they had become in just a year's time. James couldn't imagine his life without Lily, though at the same time last year, Lily despised the Marauders and Rachel. But now, here they were, closer than friends. They were family.

Sirius finally moved his gaze from the window when Rachel's head dropped to his shoulder. He looked down at her and smiled a sad, half smile. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders to try and stop her shivering.

"I wonder what she's dreaming about," he said quietly to James.

"Nothing pleasant, that's for sure," James said, his forehead creasing.

The compartment door slid open, revealing Lily and Remus, both of them looking quite frazzled.

"How goes it?" Sirius asked. Remus groaned and slumped down on the seat next to James.

"I don't think we've ever had to break up so many fights," he said. He and Lily were the Gryffindor prefects, and had been assigned the last rounds of the day. "And by we, I mean me, because Lily here decided it would be fun to get involved."

"Lily!" James and Sirius exclaimed in shock.

"Oh keep your pants on. That awful Umbridge girl in Slytherin ripped some of my hair out," Lily said very unhappily. "If Remus hadn't stopped me, I would have pummeled her into the ground myself."

"Girl fight? Nice," Sirius grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'd slap you, but I don't want to wake Rachel up. So I'm mentally slapping you."

"Um…ouch?"

"You're so aggravating," Lily said, trying not smile.

"How long till Kings Cross?" James asked.

"About two minutes. Is your dad picking us up, or is John?" Remus asked.

"John. It isn't safe for dad to go places besides work without a disguise."

"I'm excited to meet them both," Lily said, smiling at James. His face lit up and he said,

"I'm excited for you to meet them." She, Rachel, Sirius and Remus were spending the summer with James' family, as none of them had a place to go. Lily's sister was getting married that summer, and therefore didn't want her around. Remus' parents were off doing business in Greenland, and Sirius had disowned his family for being part of the reason why Rachel didn't have a family.

A large rumble of thunder shook the compartment, and Rachel sprang up, reaching into her pocket for her wand.

"Hold back there, darling," Sirius said, taking her hand. "It's just thunder."

"Oh…sorry," she mumbled. She settled back into her seat, and Remus said,

"Good timing though." He stood up from his seat. "We're here." The train began to slow until it finally came to a stop, and the five teenagers got up to collect their luggage. When Sirius finally opened the compartment door, they were met by a hallway full of fighting 5th years from Slytherin, and their own beloved house.

"All right, break it up everyone!" Sirius shouted, shoving his way past them all. "Go home and stop fighting for Merlin's sake."

"Go home?" one girl smirked, and Sirius's eyes darkened. "That's a little hypocritical coming from you, isn't it?"

"Stuff it, Bellatrix," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, obviously not caring.

"Ooh good comeback," she sneered. "I'm so hurt."

"Oh I'm sorry," Sirius said sarcastically. "I forget that you're a pansy ass. C'mon guys, let's go." Without another look at his cousin, he exited the train with as much speed as possible. His four friends, however, took their time giving Bellatrix the most murderous glares they could muster up at that given moment.

"Hey, where did Peter go?" Remus asked, looking around them once they got off the train. "He said he was going to visit Carol but he never came back to the compartment."

"I dunno," James frowned. "We should say goodbye before we leave, though. Do you think he's miffed that he isn't coming to stay with us this summer?"

"Probably," Sirius said truthfully. "But in our defense, we did ask him. His mum is just way too paranoid."

"No offense to Peter, but I'm glad he's not," Lily said. "I feel like he doesn't like Rachel and I much."

"He just has a thing for both of you."

"Both of us?" Rachel said, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, player." James and Sirius snickered.

"I'm trying to imagine Peter as a pimp, and it's just not working out," James said, continuing to laugh.

"Well I guess we don't get to see him," Remus frowned. "Oh well. We'll write him, I guess."

"That's one thing I miss about the muggle world," Lily sighed. "_Phones_."

"Oh we have a phone," said James. "Dad tried to make us fit in with muggles cause it made us less conspicuous."

"James, you know nothing about the muggle world," said Rachel.

"Well I didn't say that it worked…"

"Oh goodness. Ok, James, do you see John?"

"If I did, do you think we would just be standing in the middle of—oh, just kidding, there he is!" James began waving his hands manically, but John shook his head, and James stopped.

"What's wrong with him?" Remus asked. John was usually as spastic and excited as his little brother, but it seemed as if today was an exception.

"He probably doesn't want any attention drawn to him. I mean, it might not be safe from your dad, but John's an auror too," Sirius explained. The other four looked at him, rather surprised. "You know, I do have plausible explanations sometimes, believe it or not."

"I know, but they've been happening more frequently lately, and it's beginning to scare me," said James. "What happened to dumb Sirius?"

"Hey! I was never dumb!"

"I beg to differ," Rachel snorted. Sirius stuck his tongue out at her and poked her in the side.

"Bitch."

"Ass."

"Whore!"

"Bast—

"Now children, are those nice names?" a low, teasing voice said from behind them.

"John!"

"When did you get over here?" James asked, looking back in awe to where John had been standing, to where John was standing now.

"I'm just that awesome," John smirked, giving his brother a quick hug. "Now hurry up, we have to get to Diagon Alley in ten minutes to make our portkey."

"Ten minutes?" Sirius and James asked together. "That's impossible!"

"Not if we run. Now come ON!" With a wave of his wand, their luggage disappeared, and John took off, his brother and his friends close on his heels.

"Wow, this is definitely inconspicuous!" James said, smirking at Sirius as they sprinted down the streets of London.

"Shut up, James!" John called back, and upped his speed.

"You can tell he's an auror," Rachel said to Remus, breathing heavily as they trailed behind the others.

"And that they're Quidditch players. Wow, we need to get in shape."

"Come on guys, hurry up!" John yelled back.

"Right," Rachel muttered sarcastically.

By the time they reached Diagon Alley, the only one who wasn't ready to collapse was John, even though he had Rachel on his back. Finally they were in front of the brick wall behind the Leaky Cauldron.

"Trash can lid NOW!" John shouted, and they all made a leap for it. Their feet never even touched the ground, and they hurtled through the air until they landed in a heap on the ground. Only James and John remained standing, and they helped the others to their feet.

"Ok, what the HELL was that?" James asked, turning on John.

"I'm sorry guys, but our dad totally misjudged how much time we'd have…normally I'm not so much of an ass. I'm John, by the way," he said, directing the last part toward Lily. "I'm assuming you're Lily?"

"Yes, I am," she smiled, sticking out her hand.

"Please, we're all huggers here," he smiled, embracing the redhead, and then moved on to Sirius, Remus, and Rachel.

"Ok so a few questions…" James said.

"Go for it."

"First, where _are _we?" They all finally looked around at their surroundings, and were surprised by what they saw. The ocean was not far from where they stood; definitely in walking distance, and there was a beach surrounding it. However, they were not standing on sand, but on grass. And not coarse, dried grass like most grass during the summer. It was green, and lush, and soft to the touch. The sky was filled with large, puffy cumulus clouds of different colors. Remnants of a sunset could be seen in the pink and red hues of a few of the clouds, while others were dark, and others were white. A cobblestone path lay in front of them, but it didn't lead to anything—it ended abruptly a few yards ahead of them.

"County Wicklow," John said, as if it weren't a big deal.

"Um…as in Ireland?"

"That would be the one."

"John, I don't know if you're aware of this, but we live in Cotswolds…"

"Yes I'm aware," John chuckled. "But it isn't safe for us there anymore." Rachel didn't miss the sideways glance John gave her. Whether it was unintentional or not, she didn't know, but it was there.

"So Ireland is safe?" James asked, confused.

"Well, yes. But I can't say anymore out here. Here, read this and pass it down." Lily, the closest one to John, took the small slip of paper from his hands and opened it.

_Welcome to Rosewood Cottage, County Wicklow, Ireland; Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix._

Confused, Lily handed the note to Rachel, and then looked at John. "I don't see what that has to do with—

"Look," John said gently. She looked away from his face, and her eyes widened in shock. The cobblestone did indeed lead to something, but the thatch roof cottage had definitely not been there before. The little cottage looked to be two stories, and it was white, with a thatch roof. The front door was green, and there were a number of windows with matching green shutters. There was even a little wooden sign next to their group with the words 'Rosewood Cottage' carved into it.

"Well that's something you don't see every day," Sirius said, his eyes fixated on the cottage that had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"Concealment charms," John explained. "This note was written by Dumbledore—only he can give away the location of the cottage. Now let's get inside so you can meet the Order, and actually find out what it is." The five teenagers, still dumbfounded by the entire situation, followed John into the small cottage without uttering a single word.

"James!" A man who looked immensely like James, except for a few graying hairs in his mane of dark hair, and more wrinkles in his worn face, smiled at his son, embracing him tightly.

"Hey dad," James said, hugging his dad tightly back.

"I've missed you, boy."

"I've missed you too, dad."

"Hey! You never said you missed me!" John said, feigning hurt.

"Ehh I really didn't," James teased.

"Asshole," John grinned, ruffling James' hair. Lily had never met a family who looked so insanely alike. Though John had much lighter brown hair than his father and little brother, he still had the tall wiry frame, and deep hazel eyes.

Harold Potter just rolled his eyes at his two sons and turned to James' friends. "Sirius, Remus—cause any trouble this year?" he asked, clapping each of the boys who he considered honorary sons on the back.

"Of course!"

"I'm insulted you would even ask," Sirius added indignantly.

"Sirius, you're insulted by anything anyone says to you," Rachel teased.

"That's because everything anyone says to me _is_ insulting!"

"Imagine that," she smirked.

"Rachel, you need to stop the smirking…you're beginning to look like Sirius," Harold said, rather amused as he hugged the daughter of his best friend. His best friend who Rachel resembled quite a lot with her dirty blonde curls, even though they were much longer than Darrin's, and her clear blue eyes. Harold felt a pang in his chest; he missed Darrin dearly, and he could only imagine how Rachel was taking the loss of her entire family.

Her sadness was hidden at the moment by the horror that appeared on her face at Harold's statement.

"Oh please, Mr. P," she begged. "Never say that again!"

"As you wish, my dear," he chortled, turning to the last newcomer he hadn't spoken to yet. "And you must be Lily." Lily smiled shyly at the man. She had heard a great deal about Harold Potter from both her friends and from the media, and she knew how wonderful of a person he was. If Lily was being completely honest with herself, Harold intimidated her a bit.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," she said, and Harold laughed, ignoring her outstretched hand as he pulled her into a hug.

"None of that sir nonsense, please! It makes me feel old," he chuckled. "And we're all huggers in this family, so you might want to get used to it." Lily's smile widened.

"I already am," she grinned.

"So Lily, if I told you that you would have to share a room with four other people, three of which being boys, what would you say?" Harold asked her.

"I'd say that as long as the non male is Rachel, then I'll survive, because anywhere is better than my house this summer."

"James was right; I do like you," Harold said, smiling. "I'm sorry but the five of you have to share the attic. The other rooms are taken by order members. I could ask John or Gideon and Fabian to give up their rooms for you girls, but I have two reasons why I'm not. One is that I want you five to be as safe as possible—you're still in school, and are therefore an excellent target. Not even some of the Order members know where the attic is, so if by some chance the death eaters found the cottage, you'd be able to escape, you'd be together, and you can keep each other safe." The teenagers gulped at the severity of the situation they could be in and James dared to ask the question,

"And the second reason?"

"You boys can get a little rambunctious, and I'm hoping you girls can keep them in line."

"Please, they'll do anything I ask them," Rachel smirked as Harold began to lead them to their room.

"Not true!" James protested.

"James honey, would you carry my trunk?"

"Sure thing babe…oh."

"My point exactly."

"Thanks Rach," Harold laughed. "I'll let you get settled and I'm going to go check on John to make sure he's not about to burn the house down…he's started cooking now," he told James. James' face held much horror and shock at the thought of his older brother cooking, but Harold continued. "Molly left lots of clean blankets up here, so you'll be very comfortable. Looks like she cleaned in here too. I'll leave you to it, then. I'll come get you when the others get back."

"Your father seems very nice," Lily said to James, who smiled.

"He is."

"Mr. P is one of my most favorite people ever," Sirius said. "But there are more important things to discuss."

"I agree," said Remus. "Like what in Merlin's beard is the Order of the Phoenix?"

"And who's Molly?" Rachel asked.

"And who are 'the others' that are getting back?" Lily added.

"Oh I was talking about who got the couch, but ok," Sirius shrugged.

All other questions aside, the five began to focus on Sirius' immediately.

"Ok, I'm thinking of a number 1 through 10…"

"You idiot, that's cheating!" Sirius told James "Of course you'll win that way."

"Exactly…"

"We could play dragon broomstick wand," said Rachel. Lily looked at her oddly.

"Huh?"

"You know, wand beats broomstick, broomstick beats dragon…"

"So like rock paper scissors?"

"What are scissors?" Rachel asked, confused. Lily tried to explain, but after a minute of blank stares and confused looks, she moved on.

"Let's draw straws," Lily suggested. "Whoever gets the shortest gets the couch."

"Good plan," Remus said, conjuring five straws. He mixed them up, and each of them picked one, but Lily was the only one left smiling.

"Best out of three?" James asked hopefully.

"Not a chance," Lily grinned.

"C'mon James, it'll be fun! The four of us will camp out on the floor—it'll be just like Christmas break," Sirius said.

"What do you do during Christmas break?" Lily asked.

"Christmas Eve they always come over to my house, and we sleep in the living room together. Of course John is usually there…"

"With his friends Vodka and rum," Sirius grinned.

"But it's almost the same," James finished.

"Here, you three can take the floor and I'll take the armchair," Rachel said.

"Absolutely not. That's bad for your back—we don't want you getting hurt," said James.

"I feel bad though…I don't want to intrude or anything."

"Please, Rach. You aren't intruding," Sirius sighed.

"No way!"

"Um…Remus? Everything ok?" Lily asked, looking at the boy oddly after his random burst of excitement.

"It just got a lot better; we have our own bathroom!"

"You're kidding. Attics don't have bathrooms."

"This one does!" Remus stepped aside to let his friends see the spacious bathroom they had all to themselves.

"I really like this place," Lily said.

"Me too. I just want to know why we're here," said James.

"Why don't you come find out?" Harold asked, appearing at the door of the attic. "Almost everyone who's coming is back; I would like you to meet them." They followed Harold back down the stairs and into the sitting room where about twenty people sat, conversing quietly. The five friends found themselves bombarded by John, and he led them over to the corner where he had been sitting.

"How's dinner coming?" James smirked.

"I burned it," John said sheepishly.

"Shocking, that," Rachel laughed.

"Albus should be here any minute," a woman with flaming red hair and a kind face said, smiling at the newcomers.

"Excellent," John beamed.

"In the mean time, I think some introductions are in place," Harold said. "Everyone, this is my son James, his friends Sirius, Remus, and Lily, and my goddaughter Rachel. You five, this is Molly and Arthur Weasley." Harold motioned to the red headed woman who had spoken to them before, and a red headed man seated next to her who was also smiling widely. "They have three kids, but they're already asleep. I assume you remember Gideon and Fabian—they graduated two years ago."

"Dad, Gideon was captain of the Quidditch team…duh we remember them," James laughed.

"And I bet it's gone downhill since I left, too," Gideon smirked.

"Hey, I'm captain now! And we're pretty awesome if I do say so myself."

"Are you guys staying here too?" Sirius asked the twins, who nodded.

"Only the Weasleys and the Prewetts, though," said Harold. "The rest aren't actually staying here. Marlene and Dorcas were also in the twins' year," Harold said, pointing to two blondes on the sofa. "And Frank and Alice were in the year before that. That's Benjy and Edgar, Sturgis Podmore, Caradoc Dearborn, and Elphias Doge. And over there is Emmeline Vance, Amelia Bones, and Dedalus Diggle. There are more, but they're traveling, and a few are with Dumbledore."

The Order members welcomed the newcomers kindly, making small talk and giving tiny bits of information over the next few minutes until the door to the sitting room opened, revealing a man with a peg leg and two different eyes, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Dumbledore himself.

"I see you made it back safely," Dumbledore said. "Excellent. Ah, and here are my wonderful new 7th years. I hope you had a good rest of 6th year?" They had stopped their sorcery lessons about a month before school ended because of exams, so they had barely seen or spoken to Dumbledore since.

"Of course, sir."

"Excellent. Now, knowing the five of you personally, I know you are most likely wondering why you are here, and what this group is. Because you're all of age—

"Er, sir?" James interrupted. "Rachel's birthday isn't till August."

"Don't worry, she's close enough," Dumbledore said, chuckling a bit at Rachel's disgruntled expression. He knew she hated being the youngest. "Anyway, I would like you to join this group if you so choose. You're all extraordinary wizards and witches—" here Dumbledore winked at them, signaling that the others didn't know the five were sorcerers, "and you'd be very valuable to us."

"Before we say yes, what are we agreeing to be a part of?" Sirius asked.

"The Order of the Phoenix is a secret society gathered to help fight Voldemort. We fight, we spy, we arrest; we do everything in our power to make sure he loses. We also protect each other. Members of the Order who are well known are in great danger from the Death Eaters. We stick together, and keep each other safe, along with the rest of the Wizarding World. And we would very much like it if you became a part of it." There was a moment of silence before Rachel said,

"So basically we fight against Voldemort?"

"Yes, Miss Wood."

"Then count me in," she said darkly, her blue eyes burning a little at the thought of the murderer who killed her family.

"And me too," Sirius said instantly. "It'll give my family a nasty fright," he added with a grin.

"Of course I will," James said determinedly. Lily and Remus looked at each other; both of them were pacifists, but they of course want to do everything they could do to end the war, even if it meant assisting in battle. They nodded at each other and Lily said,

"And so will we." Dumbledore smiled proudly, but McGonagall spoke up, worried for the safety of her—although she would never admit it in a million years—favorite students.

"We weren't expecting an answer out of you right away. If you would like to take some time to think about your decision…"

"Professor, this war has hurt too many people already," James said, speaking up for himself and his friends. He rested a hand on Rachel's shoulder and squeezed it. "Too many innocent people have died. It's time it ended, and if we can assist in doing so, we will do anything we can to make it stop."

"There you have it, Minerva. I know you're worried, but you have personally seen these young adults grow, and therefore you know just how useful they will be," Dumbledore said, reassuring his coworker and friend. "And you know we need help inside the school."

"Inside the school?" Lily asked, rather confused.

"We need spies," the man with two different eyes said gruffly. "Albus hates to admit it, but we know there are death eaters among the student body. There have been many signs and indications that they exist, and we need to figure out who they are, how dangerous they are, what they are planning, and what Voldemort has asked them to do."

"It could be more than just Slytherins," said McGonagall, seeing the boys' expressions. "So don't go getting any prank ideas in your heads. I don't care if you're part of the Order, I will still put you in detention if I find Mr. Snape with pink hair again." Sirius laughed and said,

"Oh Professor, we are much too mature for those silly childish games anymore…" McGonagall raised an eyebrow skeptically. "We would at least advance it to rainbow colored. Or maybe sparkly…" The transfiguration Professor tried to hide her smile and said,

"You will do nothing of the sort. You're right about childish games; what we are asking you to do is a very serious matter, and should be taken as such."

"And it will be," Remus assured her. "Sirius just uses humor as a defense mechanism."

"So I've noticed," McGonagall said wryly.

"So basically our job is to spy on the Sly…on any possible death eaters?" Rachel asked, confirming.

"That is part of your duty. I am sure that you will be doing more, however. Though I must tell you…it is Minerva's, Harold's and my own wishes that you do not participate in battles until you are fully trained."

"What!" Rachel, Sirius, and James all cried in indignation.

"You need the proper training," Harold explained, stepping in to try and help the teenagers see reason. "Training that you haven't had yet, and that we are all going to assist you with in due time." They looked to Dumbledore, who nodded at them, answering their identical unspoken questions. The nod signaled that this did indeed have to do with their sorcery, so they didn't dare broach the subject. Obviously Dumbledore was keeping this information secretive for a reason, and they didn't dare cross Dumbledore.

"We understand," said Remus.

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said with a smile. "And now, to begin your first official meeting." Dumbledore turned to the wizard with the two different eyes. "Alastor, why don't you fill the rest of us in on what happened in Surrey today?"

"Yes, Albus." The five newcomers listened in awe to many recounts of death eater attacks on muggles and wizards in the past week; all of which had either been stopped by the Ministry or the Order. It seemed that the Ministry was unaware of many of these attacks, and although Harold was doing his best to make the new Minister see reason, and sent out many parties against the Minister's wishes, there was only so much he could do without being fired, and losing his job to someone who would follow the Minister's every order, and therefore set their progress in the war back quite a ways.

James, Sirius, Remus, Lily and Rachel never understood quite how poorly things were run now that Darrin Wood was dead; with Francis Thunderport as Minister, he was more than terrified of the same thing happening to him and his family, and wanted to keep everyone safe. However, his idea of 'everyone' was rather selfish, as it mostly concerned him, and other high end Ministry workers. He didn't think of the many wizards and witches who were being attacked, and he thought even less of the muggles who were being slaughtered.

This was where the Order came in. A few weeks prior, one of the experimental teams had perfected a device that slightly resembled a cross between a sneakascope and a portkey, and alerted the Order to death eater attacks. Order members each bore a pendant that would glow red whenever an attack occurred, and those summoned would report instantly to the scene of the crime, using different disguises every time so that the existence of the Order and its members would remain secret for the time being. The Order was growing constantly, and more and more members were called in to the attacks, so that more and more attacks were being stopped. Hundreds of innocent people were being saved by the Order, and many death eaters were being killed. So far the Order had only lost two members, although there had been many near death occurrences. Luckily for them, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, and Poppy Pomfrey, who wasn't able to make it that night, were all very skilled healers, and Horace Slughorn, the Potions master at Hogwarts, would brew any potion Dumbledore required, no questions asked. No trips to St. Mungo's had been necessary yet.

After a delicious chicken dinner—cooked by Molly Weasley, not John Potter—and a two hour meeting of progress, strategy, and ideas, the meeting was called to an end, and after chatting a few minutes more with Harold, John, and Dumbledore, the five teenagers retired to their new room.

Rachel watched jealously as her friends transfigured different objects around the room into very comfortable mattresses that they spread out on the floor, and then covered in the many blankets and pillows Molly Weasley had supplied for them. If there had been room for beds, they would have made those in a heartbeat, but the size of the room didn't allow for any beds, and none of them felt like fighting over who got to sleep on a bed and who got to sleep on the floor.

They got ready for bed quickly and silently, still processing the entire night in their minds. Of course they had known the basics of the war. But they had never known of the Ministry issues, the Order, and the severity until tonight. They were all rather stunned, and at this moment in time, they were just cherishing each other's company, glad to be alive when so many weren't. Lily even decided to forego the couch that night, and scooted in between Remus and James on the pile of mattresses, wanting to be as close to her friends as possible. Rachel was on the other side of James, snuggled up against his back, her own back resting against Sirius' front.

"I love you guys," she finally said in a small voice. The response was a chain reaction; Sirius snaked his arm protectively around her waist, James reached for her hand and laced his fingers through her own. He did the same with Lily, his heart beat quickening against his will as she squeezed his hand tightly, bringing it closer to her own heart, and she reached for Remus' hand.

"So do I," Lily said, closing her eyes as she rested her head against her and James' clasped hands.

"This used to be so far off in the distance…some nightmare that none of us had to deal with. I guess reality is much worse outside Hogwarts," Remus said quietly.

"We're gonna make it through this guys," James said determinedly. "We're gonna help put an end to this war, and we're gonna live to tell our grandchildren about it."

"James…don't make promises you can't keep," Sirius said darkly. No one else spoke, the sense of foreboding falling on them heavily. One by one they dropped off to sleep, grateful to have each other, and scared of losing each other.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yeah I know it was long...I'm gonna wait a day or two before putting up the next chapter, and I will try and keep the chapters at least a little shorter than this. In the mean time, please review! I would very much appreciate it :) **  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello friends! Here's the next chapter...it's a little later than I would have liked, but here it is. I know these first few chapters are a little slow, but I need time to introduce the characters and everything, so if you think it's boring, keep reading-I promise it won't be! And please, oh please review...I would really appreciate the feedback, and I would really like any input you might have to make the story better. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Two

James, for once, was the first awake. At 8:00 he opened his bleary hazel eyes and looked around the small and unfamiliar room.

He was taken aback for a minute, trying to remember where he was. The small, archaic room littered with old furniture and miscellaneous trinkets wasn't what he was accustomed to. But then he felt Lily's hand still clasped in his, and he remembered. He smiled widely at this; it seemed as if they had kept holding hands the entire night.

There was a time when Lily would have rather held hands with Voldemort himself than with James, and James was more than thrilled that things had changed so much. After all, he'd been in love with the girl since he was old enough to understand what love is, and he'd liked her for years before that. Granted, being the immature little boy that he had been, he hadn't handled his affection all that well; instead of getting Lily to swoon at his feet like he was hoping to, he helped increase her hatred for him.

A lot.

But the past year he had grown up, she had calmed down, and between their sorcerery lessons, regular Hogwarts classes, and generally spending time together, they had become extremely close friends.

Carefully untangling his fingers from Lily's, James sat up slowly so that he wouldn't wake his sleeping friends, as none of them had really been sleeping well lately. Between full moons, exams, and the weight of a dangerous war upon their shoulders, it was hard for any of them to get a good night's sleep.

As quietly as he could, James got up to take a quick shower, and silently thanked Molly Weasley for supplying the bathroom with soap, shampoo, towels, lotions, and a whole stock of different colored bottles and potions that he had no idea what they were for. He had tried looking at the labels but things called 'toner', 'anti-frizz gel' and 'grapefruit masks' were a mystery to him. Deciding that Lily and Rachel would know, he contented himself with just using shampoo and soap.

Wrapping himself in a fluffy green towel, James tiptoed back into the room, burrowed through his trunk for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, slipped them on, and headed down the stairs. A clock over the stairwell told him that it was nearly 8:30 in the morning (he thought it was neat that the clock actually _told _him that; he had always wanted a talking clock, but his family had enough trouble with their talking mirrors that Harold didn't want to add anymore inanimate objects that could possibly insult you to the décor), and he smiled when he began to smell the delicious sent of pancakes wafting up the stairs.

"Good morning," Molly Weasley said cheerfully, smiling at James. James smiled back at her; it seemed impossible to dislike this woman. She was just so _nice._ James guessed she was about 30, and he guessed that Arthur, her husband, was a few years older.

"Good morning. Can I help you with anything?" he asked politely. He may not have had a mother growing up, but Harold certainly taught him and John good manners.

"Well aren't you a dear," Molly beamed. "Thank you, but Arthur and I are almost finished. I hope you like pancakes!"

"Oh don't worry, I definitely do," James said with a large grin.

"Ahh, I see you have the famous Potter appetite," Arthur laughed, looking at James' expression. "If you eat half of what your brother eats, I daresay there won't be enough for everyone else!"

"Please, I'm much more polite than John," James scoffed, though he added an 'I'm just kidding' at the end. It was always different teasing someone who wasn't around. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"He's still asleep, the poor thing," Molly said in a very motherly type fashion. "Dumbledore's had him running all over the place; he's quite the talented young wizard, and he can get away with more at the Ministry than Harold, since the Minister isn't keeping as close an eye on him. Same with my little brothers."

"Are Gideon and Fabian still asleep too, then? Wait…are Gideon and Fabian _aurors?_" James asked as Molly and Arthur levitated the rather large breakfast onto the table. They sat down at the table with him and said,

"No, they're helping the kids get ready." She smiled fondly. "They do love their nephews, and they grasp any chance to be with them. And yes, they are aurors. Trust me, I was surprised too…I always figured that "

"How old are your kids?" James asked.

"Bill is six; he'll be turning seven in November," Arthur said as if on autopilot. "He is rather mischievous, and quite energetic. Charlie's four, and although he's shy when you first meet him, you'll be his best friend by the end of the day. And he absolutely loves to tag along with Bill's mischief." James smiled at Arthur's obvious pride in his boys. "And Percy will be turning 1 in August. He just took his first steps the other day!"

"That's great!" James said, sharing in Arthur's excitement. "Has he started talking?"

"A little," Molly said, beaming. "His first words were 'don't do that!'" She chuckled a little at the memory.

"Looks like you'll at least have someone to keep the other two in line," James laughed. "Bill and Charlie sound like Sirius and I!"

"I must say, for two people who aren't related, you do look an awful lot alike," Molly said.

"It's the hair," James grinned. "Although he's able to keep his in better shape; I get this mop from my dad."

"And I beg to differ; I'm much more attractive than this buffoon," Sirius smirked as he came down the stairs. His hair was still damp and he was dressed in a similar outfit to James'.

"You only wish you looked like me," James sniffed, as Molly and Arthur watched the show amusedly.

"Say what you want, James, but remember…I'll always be the taller one." James groaned and said,

"Don't remind me!"

"He always used to be the tall one," Sirius explained to Molly and Arthur. "And then halfway through fifth year I grew about six inches out of nowhere, and then we both kept growing. It was an ongoing battle. Now I'm 6 foot 2, and he's only 6 foot. And he can't _stand _it, can you buddy?" Sirius ruffled James' hair, who glared daggers at him. Sirius ignored him and said, "Ooh, pancakes!" His eyes lit up as he began to pile his plate, but then he paused and looked at them suspiciously.

"John didn't make them," James assured him. "Molly and Arthur did." Sirius' face lightened once more, and before he dug in he looked at the older couple.

"Thanks so much!" he took a bite, and although it's hard to smile and chew at the same time without being disgusting, Sirius managed. "Wow, these are wonderful!" He finally said after swallowing.

"Thank you," Molly beamed. "Cooking is one of my favorite things to do."

"I think that's why she's such a master at potions," Arthur said, and Molly blushed.

"Oh Arthur, stop. I'm not that talented and we both know it!"

"Always the humble one, this one," Arthur said, looking at his wife lovingly. "She really does have a knack with potions. In fact, she's part of the team who helped with the death eater tracking system. I only wish I was half as good at potions as she is. Charms is more my forte, though."

"And he's quite good at it as well. It aids in his obsession with muggle devices," Molly said, though the last part was said with less pride than the first.

"They're interesting, Molly!" Arthur defended. James and Sirius shared a look; it seemed as if this wasn't the first time they had this argument. Arthur turned to James and Sirius and said, "I think it would be very exciting if I could enchant a car to fly. I've tried numerous times, but they've all ended up backfiring—no pun intended—in the end." Sirius' eyes lit up and he said,

"You know Arthur…" he started.

"Sirius," James warned. "Don't start with the motorcycles…"

"I've been wanting to buy a motorcycle ever since my dear Lilykins showed me a picture of one in one of her muggle magazines. If I do, would you like to help me try and get it to fly?"

"I would be delighted!" Arthur said excitedly. He began to talk animatedly to Sirius about the logistics of making objects fly and Molly sighed. She turned to James and said,

"So what is your favorite subject, dear?"

"Well…my favorite subject is Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I'm most talented at Transfiguration." James couldn't help the miniscule smirk that lighted up his face. Not even Lily and Rachel knew just how good at Transfiguration he—and Sirius—were. Two years prior they had become unregistered Animagi, which was in fact, illegal, but they had done it for Remus. It wasn't Remus' fault that he was a werewolf, and it hurt James and Sirius that Remus was in pain every month with no help, and so they—and Peter, although he didn't do much of anything—did what they could to help.

"What about your friends?"

"Sirius is the same as me. Remus is very good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Rachel is best at charms. And Lily…probably potions, although Merlin knows that girl is the best at anything she does."

"Aw, James, are you always this nice to me behind my back?" James whirled around and looked at Lily. She was wearing plaid pajama shorts and a loose t-shirt, her face was clean of any makeup she might have been wearing the previous day, and her wavy auburn hair was currently wrapped in a towel on top of her head.

James still couldn't believe how absolutely breathtaking he thought she looked.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, pulling out a chair for her. Molly couldn't help but smile; it was rather obvious to her what James was feeling. Lily smiled and sat down.

"Better than I have in a very long time," she said, and James felt something beginning to fly around his stomach. He didn't know if they were butterflies or birds or hippogriffs, but whatever it was, it alerted him to the fact that he was rather nervous, and didn't know why. "So what's the plan for today?"

"John wants to show you around town," said Molly, dishing up some bacon for Lily. She smiled appreciatively at Molly and said,

"Thank you."

"It's no problem, dear. Anyway, Dumbledore gave John the day off so he could show the five of you around. You can bring the kids and make a day of it. I know they would love to get out of the house."

"Oh that would be lovely!"

"I know I am," said John, entering the room. "But thanks anyway." James rolled his eyes as his brother sat down across from him.

"You're a prat."

"I like being referred to as lovely, thanks very much."

"I didn't know you were a five year old ballerina."

"That was you, my dear brother," John grinned, and Sirius whirled around, his grey blue eyes bright with mirth.

"_What?"_ Even Lily was giggling at this point.

"You did ballet?" she asked between laughs. James glared daggers at John and said,

"I only took one term…dad accidentally signed me up for ballet instead of swimming, and he had already made the payments. I was stuck!" he said, trying to defend himself.

"Are there pictures?" Sirius asked John hopefully, who sighed and shook his head.

"I wish," he said wistfully. "I was eleven at the time, and dad didn't get a camera till I was twelve."

"Did you have to wear a Tu-Tu?" Lily asked, grinning.

"Was it pink?" Sirius added. "Ooh did you have the little sparkly shoes that tied up to your knees?"

"Did you have to wear _stockings?_" Lily persisted. James just glared at the both of them, while Molly and Arthur watched in amusement.

"No, you prats! I wore a leotard!"

"And what color was it, Jamesie?" John asked evilly.

"Black," James said automatically. "With a skull on the front. And a naked chick on the back."

"You idiot, what do you take us for? You were five!" Sirius said, laughing. "Come on, what color was it really?"

"Dark blue," James said desperately, and John shook his head. "Fine…it was yellow."

"And?" John grinned. If looks could kill John would have been dead five times by now as James said,

"With pink trim." Even Molly and Arthur couldn't help but laugh as the room erupted, and a very confused Remus joined the throng.

"What did I miss?" he asked, and Sirius filled him in. By the end of Sirius' tale, Remus was grinning widely.

"Well what are you waiting for, Twinkle Toes? Show us some moves!"

"For your information, women like a man who can dance," James sniffed. All eyes turned to Lily who shrugged.

"I gotta admit, that's true." James leapt up out of his seat as if he were going to demonstrate right then and there, but he thought better of it, and passed it off as getting something to drink. Sirius and Remus knew better and began sniggering behind their own glasses of orange juice, but Lily was quite oblivious. She may have been the smartest witch of her age, but when it came to romance, she was clueless.

"Good morning, all!" Gideon and Fabian said together from the doorway, three small children in tow. The procession was led by who must have been Bill, James decided, as he was the largest child, and he strode in with a large grin on his face. Gideon came next, carrying a small, 10 month old baby, while Fabian came in last; his hand was wrapped around a small 4-year-old's, and he was trying to hide behind Fabian.

"Wish we could stay, but we have to get to Diagon Alley; mind if we take some bacon on the go?" Fabian asked his older sister.

"Not at all," said Molly. "What time do you think you'll be back?"

"No idea," Gideon shrugged, passing over the baby to Molly. "But since it's a Saturday and we don't have to get to work, we'll probably be back earlier than normal." They turned to John. "We'll miss you today, man. Have fun on your day off."

"Hey now, don't try and make me feel guilty! You guys had the day off last week and I had to do everything practically by myself!"

"I hate when he's right," Fabian muttered. "We'll see you all later." With two loud cracks, the twins disappeared from the house. Once one knew about Headquarters, it was possible to apparate, thanks to a tricky enchantment by Dumbledore.

Bill and Charlie were left standing on their own, looking at the four teenagers with curiosity, and in Charlie's case, extreme shyness.

"Good morning!" Lily beamed, getting up out of her seat instantly to say hello to the children.

"Hello," said the oldest, sticking out his hand to Lily. "I'm Bill."

"It's very nice to meet you Bill. I'm Lily."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lily." He kissed her hand and Lily laughed.

"Well aren't you sweet!" Bill beamed, ran excitedly to his mother and said,

"Did you hear her mum? She thinks I'm _sweet!_"

"That's because you are," Molly laughed, kissing her son's cheek. He blushed in embarrassment.

"_Mum!_" he groaned. "Not right now!" He approached James, Sirius and Remus and looked between the three of them. "Hi," he finally said. "I'm Bill."

"Hey Bill," said Sirius, ruffling the kid's shaggy red hair. "I'm Sirius, and this is Remus, and James. We're friends with your uncles and your parents."

"You look like John and Mr. Potter," Bill said to James.

"John's my brother, and Mr. Potter is my dad," James explained. "You look like your dad too, you know." Bill beamed at him.

"Really?" he asked excitedly. James nodded. "Thanks! I like you."

"I'm glad," James laughed. "I like you too, Bill."

"I must ask…are any of you dating her?" He pointed to Lily. John nudged him and said,

"What did your mum tell you about pointing?"

"It's rude," Bill sighed. "Sorry. So?" He turned back to the Marauders.

"Nope, she's totally single," Sirius grinned. "Go for it."

"Awesome!" Bill said, running back to Lily.

"Looks like you're gonna lose the love of your life to a 6 year old, mate," Remus grinned, and James glared at him.

"I'd rather lose her to Bill than to Snape," James finally sighed.

"I think there's a higher chance of that too," said Remus. "She hasn't spoken to Severus since the end of fifth year." James winced at the memory. "Why are you wincing? She's forgiven you."

"I know, but the whole thing was my fault…"

"Well actually, part of it was Sirius'," Remus pointed out.

"Hey!"

"Well, it was."

"I know…"

"Guys this is Charlie!" Bill announced, coming back over to the boys. This time he was dragging who seemed to be a smaller version of himself behind him. Charlie was about 4 inches shorter than Bill, and his hair was less unruly as well. Large, dark brown eyes stared up nervously at the boys, and he didn't say anything due to the fact that his tiny thumb was in his mouth.

"Hi Charlie," Remus said kindly, getting down on one knee. "I'm Remus." Charlie meekly waved one hand, keeping his thumb in his mouth.

"Keep him out of my way will you," Bill whispered to James and Sirius. "He's stealing Lily away from me!" Molly, Arthur, John, Remus, and Lily all turned away to hide their laughter, but as Sirius and James were facing Bill, they had to do the best they could to keep their wits about them.

"We've got your back, mate, don't you worry," Sirius said with a wink. Bill attempted to wink back, although the result was more of him squeezing both his eyes shut tightly, and then opening them. Bill ran back to Lily's side and took her hand.

"Want to see my Chocolate Frog card collection?" he asked her. "I have 58!"

"Wow, that's a lot!" Lily said, impressed.

"I have more than that," James muttered, disgruntled. Sirius just stared at him in disbelief.

"Really, Prongs? _Really?_"

"I am a complete idiot, aren't I?"

"Oh no," said Remus, leading Charlie over to his two best friends. "You're part moron as well."

"Thanks, Moony," James said wryly. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the nice one."

"I am," Remus pointed out. "Somehow I doubt Sirius would have used the word 'moron'."

"Somehow I think you're right," Sirius smirked. He swept all teasing aside after his comment, though, and knelt down so that he was eye-to-eye with Charlie. "So you're Charlie, right?" Charlie nodded. "I'm Sirius, and this is James."

"Hey Charlie," James said with a smile. "What have you got there?" He motioned to the stuffed animal in Charlie's left hand. Charlie looked to his mother for reassurance, and she nodded encouragingly at him. Mustering up all his courage, he took his thumb out of his mouth and held up a dark red, winged animal for the boys to see.

"This is Carl," Charlie said, a slight lisp in his voice. "He's a dragon."

"Oooh a dragon," Sirius said, impressed. "Do you like dragons?" Charlie nodded vigorously. "So do we!" Charlie's nervous expression changed into a wide smile.

"Really?" he asked, though his r's sounded more like w's. "I wanna real one, but mummy and daddy said no."

"I think Carl is a pretty good dragon," Remus told him, and Charlie's smile widened.

"He's my best friend!" Charlie beamed, hugging his dragon close to his chest. James, Sirius and Remus didn't care they were supposed to be tough, masculine, seventeen year old men at this moment in time. All they wanted to do was scoop Charlie up and hug him for the rest of eternity.

"C'mon Charlie, do you and Carl want breakfast?" James asked. "Your mummy made pancakes."

"Ooh pancakes! I love pancakes. Mummy makes the best pancakes in the world!"

"I think I'll have to agree with that," Remus grinned, pulling out a chair for Charlie as James swung him up into his seat.

"Up you go!" he said, Charlie giggling all the while. Remus and Sirius were quick to notice Lily's expression at this, and they shared a look. Lily had never seen James when he was around small children. She was in for a whole new side of James, and Remus and Sirius were looking forward to her reaction.

"Can you make pancakes?" Charlie asked James as he helped the small boy cut up a pancake on his plate.

"Yes, but they're not nearly as good as these," he said truthfully.

"You can cook?" Lily asked, surprised. James nodded. "I didn't know that…"

"Man you can dance, you can cook, what other secrets are you hiding, James?" Sirius smirked.

"You knew I could cook, dumb…dumb," James said, rolling his eyes and catching his mouth before he said something he regretted in front of the children. "And don't make fun of me. You can cook too."

"And way better than you!" Sirius grinned. James just rolled his eyes again.

"All right you lot, it's time Molly and I were off…we need to head to the library to get information for some experiments we're working on tomorrow," Arthur explained. "Do you mind handling the kids for the day?"

"It'll be our pleasure," Lily smiled, and Bill's face brightened considerably.

"You boys be on your best behavior," Molly told Bill and Charlie, kissing them each on the cheek.

"We will, mum!" They said together. Molly handed Percy to John, and Percy giggled and reached for John's messy hair.

"Thanks so much…it's always easier to not get kicked out of a library when no one is playing practical jokes," Arthur said, looking pointedly at Bill who looked away innocently.

"Good luck. Let me know if you need anything," said John.

"Oh no, you need your day off! Merlin knows you haven't had one in weeks. You can help tomorrow with the experimentation," Molly told John firmly. "You have fun today."

"Ok, Molly," John grinned. "See you later for dinner!"

"Yes indeed. And John?"

"Yes Molly?"

"If you want to cook…let someone else do it," Molly said as kindly as possible, and the others laughed. Molly and Arthur disappeared from the kitchen, leaving John, the four teenagers, and the three children alone in the kitchen.

"Where's dad?" James asked.

"Tracking Abraxus Malfoy and his son, Lucius," said John. "Apparently Abraxus is something like Voldemort's right hand man."

"Isn't that a little dangerous for just one man?" Remus frowned. He didn't know Abraxus, but he knew Lucius; he had graduated from Hogwarts three years earlier. He definitely wasn't someone to cross.

"Mad-Eye is with him," John assured them, putting Percy down in his high chair and dishing out some baby food onto his tray. Obviously he had been in charge of the kids before. "And they drank polyjuice potion. We're working on an invisibility potion, and a potion that makes you transparent so that no one can harm you. That's what Molly and Arthur are getting research for. It's back to the labs tomorrow."

"I would like to be invisible," said Bill. "That would be fun!"

"You just want to play as many jokes as possible," John said, ruffling Bill's hair. He grinned up at John.

"Maybe."

"What do you say Billy, want to go into town with me and these weirdos?" John asked him.

"Sure!" Bill said excitedly. "Can we go to the joke shop?"

"I'm not a weirdo!" Charlie said, looking at John with big, sad eyes.

"I wasn't talking about you, little man," John promised, and Charlie lightened up at once.

"I want to go to town too, Johnny!" Charlie said, bouncing up and down in his chair.

"Good, because you're coming too little man!"

"Yay!" Charlie beamed, clapping his syrupy hands together. "Can I get a friend for Carl?"

"If you promise to be very, very good," John told him.

"I will be, I promise!"

"I'm gonna go get ready then," Lily said, getting up from the table.

"Us too!" Bill and Charlie said excitedly, and ran off to their room.

"Wake Rachel up while you're up there, would you?" John asked Lily, feeding Percy another spoonful of his baby food.

"Shouldn't we let her sleep?" Lily frowned.

"Why?" John asked, confused.

"Er…John, it's been so crazy at school and everything that I really didn't have time to explain what's been going on," James said, biting his lip. James wasn't the only one who considered Rachel a little sister. John's eyes narrowed.

"What's been going on?"

"Well…Rachel's been having a pretty rough time," James said.

"But she looked fine last night…and she didn't even cry at the funeral," John reasoned, his forehead creasing.

"I know, she hasn't cried at all," Sirius said, his worry clear in his eyes. The fact that Rachel refused to cry worried them all; she saw crying as being weak, and the last thing Rachel wanted to be was weak. The others feared that not letting her emotions out would take its toll on her, if it wasn't happening already.

"She's barely been able to sleep," Lily explained. "When she does, I can hear her mumbling for her parents and her little brother. Sometimes she'll start screaming—I've had to put silencing spells around her bed countless times so she doesn't wake our roommates. I feel so awful…and there's nothing we can do because she won't talk about it."

"Hm…that doesn't sound like Rachel," John frowned. "Usually you're able to drag something out of her after two or three tries."

"I know!" James and Sirius said together, frustrated.

"I'll try at some point today," John sighed. "Though I doubt if she isn't telling you, James, she's not gonna tell me."

"That's the weirdest part. She tells me _everything,_" James frowned. Something flickered across Sirius' face, and even though Sirius hid it within seconds, John knew that look anywhere. He raised an eyebrow slightly at Sirius, who avoided eye contact with John immediately. John might not have been the brightest star in the sky, but he was very observant, and Sirius was very aware of this.

"I guess if she's not up by the time I'm done getting ready, I'll wake her," said Lily. "Give us like…half an hour?"

"All right, we'll try and keep the boys entertained," John said.

"That won't be hard…all we need is some naked pictures of Lily, and—

"Shut up, Sirius!" Lily scowled, ignoring the laughter that followed her all the way up the stairs. She climbed through the trapped door, and was surprised to see Rachel sitting up, looking around the room in confusion.

"Where am I?" she asked Lily. "This isn't our dorm…"

"We're not at Hogwarts anymore, genius." The memories from the previous night seemed to flood back, and Rachel nodded in recognition.

"Right."

"I'm assuming you just woke up?"

"How did you guess?" Rachel asked dryly.

"Well, I know you have an awful memory, but it isn't _that _bad." Rachel smiled weakly at Lily and said,

"Nice towel. New fashion statement?"

"Oh hush. My hair always looks nicer when it dries naturally. I just never have time for that at school." Lily shook her hair out of her towel, and Rachel watched a little jealously as Lily brushed her hair; she barely had to do anything to make her dark red hair fall in perfect waves down her back.

"So what's the plan for today?" Rachel asked, finally getting up from amidst all the blankets to join Lily in the bathroom, grabbing a toothbrush.

"John's gonna show us around town, and we're taking the Weasley's kids. Oh Rachel, they are so darn cute…you will absolutely love them."

"Wonderful. I love little kids."

"I know, me too. And the boys can't make fun of us for it anymore…you should see how they are with them. They're just as enamored with them as I am!"

"I know James is fantastic with kids, and I figured Remus would be…but Sirius? That's rather surprising. I always figured Sirius was to badass to get along well with children."

"I did too," Lily laughed, leaving the bathroom to grab an outfit out of her trunk. Rachel took the opportunity to hop in the shower. "So how did you sleep?"

"Pretty well," Rachel said, loud enough to be heard over the running water. "But don't tell Sirius—he'll decide that it was cause he was holding me."

"Ooh, he was holding you, eh?" Lily asked, and Rachel could practically see the mischievous gleam in Lily's eye.

"Oh shut up. Like you didn't sleep better all cuddled up next to James." Rachel tried to say this in the least scathingly way possible; the last thing she needed was anyone finding out she was in love with her best friend. She'd been able to keep it quiet since she realized it two years ago, and she wasn't about to let it leak now. After all, James was completely in love with Lily, not her, and Rachel knew it. And no matter how much it hurt her to think about them being together, if they were happy, Rachel would deal with it. She just hoped she wouldn't have to.

"I was not all cuddled up next to James!" Lily called back, glad that Rachel couldn't see her face turning a nice shade of scarlet.

"Mhm…ten galleons says you're blushing right now."

"Oh be quiet," Lily said in a voice that let Rachel know she was right.

"You'd better pay up when I get out of the shower."

"I never took the bet, so I don't have to!"

"Fine, be that way. But because I know you so well, I think you should buy me ice cream while we're out today anyway."

"Why should I do that?" Lily asked, laughing a little as she finished dressing in a white knee length skirt, and a royal blue blouse that complimented her fair skin.

"Because you love me," Rachel said, grinning cheekily at Lily as she opened the bathroom door. She was wrapped in a towel, and scanned the room for her trunk.

"Next to mine," Lily said, answering her unvoiced question. Rachel nodded and began to burrow through her much less organized trunk. She finally pulled out a pair of skinny jeans, converse, and a cut off orange Chudley Canons T-shirt. "And I'll buy you ice cream…but only if you promise to be good."

"I promise, I promise!" Rachel grinned, bouncing up and down.

"Yeah right, when are you ever good?"

"Hey now, I was good before I met James…"

"So for the first two days of your life?"

"Oh true…ok, how about I was good until I met Sirius?"

"All right I suppose that works better. Now hurry up and get ready; the boys are pretty anxious to leave." Rachel headed to the bathroom to change, and came back out two minutes later, her wet hair up in a messy bun. Lily looked at her hair with a small frown, and Rachel groaned. She knew what was coming.

"Rachel, can I please just do _something_ with your hair?"

"It's not dry yet, I have to leave it up," Rachel protested. She and Lily had very different tastes in fashion, starting with the fact that Lily cared, and Rachel did not. She had always been a tomboy, and even though she knew she wasn't as pretty as Lily, she was confident in who she was.

"I could French braid it…"

"Only if you promise to be good," Rachel teased. Lily cracked a smile and said,

"How about if I end up buying you ice cream, you'll let me French braid your hair?"

"Deal," Rachel said. "Now let's go downstairs before James and Sirius come barging up here thinking we fell out the window or something." They walked downstairs into the living room, where they were met by the boys.

"There you are!" James said. "We were beginning to think you fell out the window or something." Rachel gave Lily a look, and Lily began to laugh. "What?"

"Oh nothing," Rachel smirked.

"That doesn't look like an 'oh nothing' expression," James said suspiciously.

"Who are you?" Bill asked, and Rachel's attention was diverted.

"I'm Rachel," she smiled. "And you are?"

"Bill." He stuck out his hand and whispered loudly, "I'm Lily's boyfriend." Rachel tried her hardest not to laugh and said,

"She's a lucky woman." Bill grinned proudly and wandered back over to Lily, offering to hold her purse for her as Rachel turned to Charlie. "Hi there," she said, kneeling down and sticking out her hand. "I'm Rachel." Charlie took his thumb slowly out of his mouth.

"I'm Charlie," he said, eyeing her hand warily. Rachel looked at the toy in his hand and said,

"Ooh is that a dragon? I love dragons…I had a stuffed dragon too, but I gave him to my baby brother when he was born." Charlie's eyes lit up, and instead of shaking her hand, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Well I see you've made a new friend," John said, smiling at Rachel as he came back in the room, pushing a stroller. "Are you all ready to go?"

"YES!" Bill and Charlie shouted excitedly.

"All right, let's get you lot introduced to the wonderful world of Ireland," John said with a grin.

**You know what to do :) **


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello all! Sorry about the wait, things have just been crazy; I'm packing to go back to school, and there's so much to do! Anyway, this chapter is basically getting to know the kids and John a little better, and developing a few of the details on certain friendships. Next chapter will involve some excitement, I promise! So please, please keep reading, and I would really appreciate reviews :) **

Chapter Three

Ireland was without a doubt the most beautiful place Sirius had ever seen. He had rarely ever been on vacation as his family tended to leave him at home when they went, and although he thought Hogwarts was rather picturesque, it had nothing on the rolling green hills, clear blue water, and the ever changing sky of Ireland.

As they walked down a dirt path toward town, he couldn't help but tune out the constant chatter around him and just take in the absolute beauty of it all. The sun may not have been shining, but it was warm enough not to be cold in the wind that whipped around them. Different shades of grey and white clouds decorated the open sky, constantly changing.

Only Sirius' closest friends knew about this side of him; the side that appreciated the beautiful things of the world, whether it be something as vast as the Irish countryside, or something as small as one of the pretty white daisies that littered the hills and pastures that surrounded them.

Automatically he looked over at Rachel who, for the first time in ages, looked truly happy. Her hand was clasped around Charlie's, and she was gazing down at the small child with loving eyes as he chatted happily to her. Letting Lily and Bill pass him, Sirius lingered back a little and plucked one of the larger daisies from the side of the path. He jogged slowly to catch up with the rest and came up behind Rachel, tucking the daisy behind her ear. She jumped at the sudden contact, then turned around and smiled brightly at Sirius.

"How did you know daisies are my favorite flower?" she asked him curiously.

"I'm just that amazing," he grinned. Rachel rolled her eyes but couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I wouldn't go _that_ far," she teased, but stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you darling, that was very sweet of you." Charlie looked between them, obviously noticing the exchange and asked,

"Are you _married?_" His question was loud enough for the others to hear, and James, Lily, Remus, and John all turned to look at them, looking extremely amused. Sirius just rolled his eyes while Rachel blushed; their friends teased them on countless occasions that they were practically dating since their close relationship called for much teasing, mock flirting, hugs, kisses on the cheek or the forehead, the occasional tickle fight, and of course inside jokes, extremely deep conversations, and a considerable amount of love for the other. But Sirius knew for a fact that Rachel did not feel for him in this way; he was the only one who was aware of her feelings for James. And so they normally would just laugh their friends accusations off and pretend to either be insanely in love, or to be insanely disgusted.

"Thank Merlin no," Rachel finally told Charlie, sneaking a wink at Sirius. "Sirius and I are very good friends…but I have no doubt that we would drive each other insane within a week if we were married."

"But you called him darling," said Charlie, confused. "Mummy and daddy say that to each other, and they're married."

"Someday, Charlie, someday," Sirius said with a sly grin, and Rachel turned to face him, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh really? Well this is news to me," she smirked. "I mean I know you could never live without me, but getting married is taking things a bit too far…"

"Please, I could so totally live without you."

"Yeah right. You would probably cry for the rest of eternity."

"Tears of joy maybe."

"I am hurt."

"Good."

"I don't like you."

"You love me!"

"Do not!"

"Yes you do!" Sirius grinned, grabbing her around the waist and slinging her over his shoulder.

"SIRIUS BLACK, PUT ME DOWN!" she shrieked, trying not to laugh along with everyone else.

"Only if you say you love me!"

"Never!"

Charlie looked at John with a very confused expression. "I don't get it…" he said, his forehead creased in concentration.

"Don't worry about it, little man. Those two are just very, very weird."

"No kidding," James grinned.

"I heard that," Sirius called, and James looked back at him. Rachel was still slung over his shoulder fireman style, but she had stopped struggling and was now resting her chin in her hand, her elbow propped against Sirius' shoulder, looking extremely bored. Her hair had fallen out of its bun in the excitement of being thrown in the air, and her face was now cloaked by messy blonde curls.

"And are you gonna argue?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. Sirius cocked his head, considering this for a moment and finally said,

"Eh you have a point."

"Of course I have a point. I'm always right."

"Yeah ok," Remus snorted, swinging Charlie up onto his shoulders. "Should I start a list of why that in itself isn't right?" James glared at him, but was saved a response by an interruption, courtesy of the young Bill Weasley.

"Are we almost there?" he asked in a voice that his mother would have chastised him for.

"Hmm…well I think I see some buildings up there…" said Lily, squinting a little. "Is that it?"

"Yes, yes it is!" Charlie and Bill exclaimed excitedly. Charlie began to bounce up and down on Remus' shoulders, and Bill tugged on Lily's hand, urging her to go faster.

"Where do you think we should take these newbies first?" John asked the two children, handing the stroller to James as he turned to face Charlie and Bill.

"The Laughing Leprechaun!" they said together.

"It's the joke store," Bill told his older friends. "I got a whoopee cushion there when we first came here, but Charlie broke it." Here he shot a dark look at his younger brother, but Charlie was oblivious as he was giggling furiously at being swung around in the air by Remus.

"When did you first come here?" Sirius asked Bill.

"Ummm about a month ago? Our house burned down, and so Dumbley-door told mum and dad to come live here, and Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon came with us! Mr. Potter and John have only been here since that famous man died." Sirius felt Rachel take in a sharp breath, and he squeezed the hand that was resting on his shoulder.

"Their house didn't burn down," John muttered quietly to James. "Well, it did…but it wasn't some random thing."

"Death eaters?"

"I wish you were wrong."

"But why?" Sirius asked. He and Rachel had also been listening while Lily and Remus let the kids describe the Laughing Leprechaun in largely exaggerated detail.

"The Weasleys are a target because they're 'blood traitors' like us…but because they aren't aurors, they didn't have any protection wards up."

"How did they escape?"

"It was a badly planned attack; the anti-apparation wards the death eaters put up were very poorly constructed, and Arthur is a genius when it comes to charms, so it took him less than 10 seconds to take them down. Luckily Molly and Arthur were in the attic putting the boys to sleep, so they just grabbed the boys and came to the cottage before the death eaters could get them. Dad and I were there at the time, so we went back with Arthur and killed all three of the death eaters, but it was too late for the house."

"I thought aurors tried not to kill."

"Yeah, that's the way it used to be," John said darkly. "But the death eaters aren't gonna spare anyone, and we're already down in numbers. We have to keep up somehow."

"Well you'll be getting at least three new ones in a year," James said, motioning to himself, Sirius and Rachel. John raised an eyebrow and looked at Rachel.

"Really?" She nodded. "I'm sure you'd be excellent…but I hope you realize that a good portion of the wizarding world isn't exactly all about equality. There's lots of discrimination when it comes to women working in the Ministry, and even more so in the auror department. We only have two female aurors."

"Well then, soon you'll have three," Rachel said confidently. "I'm not going to sit back and watch the war happen when I can help stop it. Those sexist pigs will have to deal with me personally before they tell me no…and when I'm through with them, trust me. They won't."

"Number one rule of life," Sirius smirked. "Never anger Rachel Wood."

"I thought it was never anger Lily Evans," James grinned.

"I heard that!"

"Oh crap…"

James was saved by the excited squeals of Bill and Charlie as they reached the Laughing Leprechaun. There was a large sign with a leprechaun smiling a smile so big it could rival that of the Cheshire cat, and next to him was a pot that was filled with rubber chickens, bouncy balls, and other joke products.

"This is it, this is it!" Charlie beamed, and John ruffled his hair.

"Shall we go inside?" Bill and Charlie ran inside, followed closely by Remus and Lily, then by John and James who was still pushing Percy's stroller, while Sirius and Rachel remained outside the door.

"Can you put me down now?" Rachel asked exasperatedly.

"Not till you say you love me!" Sirius grinned cheekily, and Rachel rolled her eyes. Her face lit up in a mischievous smirk and she said,

"Well then I guess we're going to have to stay out here…we won't fit through the door like this. What a shame, Remus and James will know all about muggle pranks and you won't have any idea what they're like. Then Remus and James will bond over their muggle prank items, leaving you out of the loop and having to resort to having Peter as your only best friend while they become famous for their muggle and magical pranks that no one has ever dared to try before…"

"You're evil," Sirius pouted, lifting Rachel back to the ground. She shook her hair out of her face and smirked again.

"Takes one to know one. And I don't know if evil is the right word…brilliant would work."

"Yeah ok," Sirius snorted. "Brilliant. Right." They finally walked into the joke store, and caught a glimpse of red hair. Deciding to follow the hair, they took off down the aisles filled with fake items, fart sprays, trick candy, itching powder, relighting birthday candles, and other such products.

"You know it's true."

"Only in that pretty little head of yours." Rachel grinned, knowing she had won, and turned to look up at Sirius.

"Aww you admit it…you called me pretty!"

"Did not."

"Did too! You think I'm gorgeous," Rachel said in a sing song voice, poking Sirius in the side. He jumped, and batted her hands away, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah right," Sirius scoffed. "You know I'm an ass man." Rachel rolled her eyes and stuck up a finger she wouldn't have dared to if Bill and Charlie were around. "Thanks, but I'd really rather not."

"Your loss," she smirked. Sirius laughed and pulled her to him, ruffling her hair. She glared at him and went to put her hair back in its bun, but Sirius caught her hands.

"Leave it."

"Why?" she asked, looking up at Sirius as if this was the craziest idea he had ever had. He took one of her curls and tucked it behind her ear.

"If I said 'you're right', would that make you understand?" He smiled crookedly at her and went to catch up with the others, leaving Rachel behind to look extremely confused by herself.

"Wow, stink bombs!" Bill said excitedly just as Sirius joined them. He raised an eyebrow and said,

"Uh oh, should I walk away again?"

"Well I'm not gonna drop them _now,_" he said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How about we leave the stink bombs here," John suggested. "And the fart spray." Charlie set the bottle down disappointedly.

"Thank you," Lily muttered so only John could hear her. He grinned and said,

"Oh don't thank me…thank Molly's temper."

"It's a red head thing," Lily grinned.

"This is all so cool!" James said, quite impressed with the selection of muggle pranks. "I don't think there is such a thing as itching powder at Zonko's or Gamble and Japes…"

"Well then let's stock up now!" Sirius said, grabbing a container off the shelf.

"Sirius…" Lily groaned.

"What? It could be a good distraction if any death eaters are coming after us," Sirius said innocently.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's your reasoning behind it," Rachel snorted, coming up behind them. Sirius couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw she had left her hair down.

"Unfortunately he _does_ have a point…" Lily sighed. "But you can't use that excuse on the stink bombs. If Bill and Charlie can't have them, you shouldn't be able to either."

"Oh we don't need stink bombs with this stuff," Sirius grinned.

"Oh and FYI…Rachel and I are _not_ death eaters, so if you _ever_ use that on us, we will hurt you."

"A lot," Rachel added.

"I wasn't going to…"

"I know that face. Yes you were," Lily said skeptically, studying Sirius' face and noticing the nearly hidden smirk, and the mischievous glint in his grey blue eyes.

"No, I wasn't. But now I am," Sirius said with an evil grin.

An hour and a half later, a group of five very happy boys, two very wary girls, and one baby who was oblivious but would have been wary if he had known what being wary was, left the Laughing Leprechaun, laden with joke products. Bill and Charlie were now the proud owners of a rubber chicken, X-ray goggles, a bald head wig to scare their mother, and trick candy. John and the Marauders were laden down with itching powder, smoke balls, fake cockroaches, silly string, and squirt gum (all of which they also used the death eater excuse on). Rachel, the more mischievous of the two girls, had gotten some trick candy, smoke balls, and a shock gun. She and Lily both picked up fake pregnancy tests and fake tattoo sleeves just to freak out the boys.

"So did you like it?" Charlie asked his new, older friends hopefully. They all nodded exuberantly.

"It was great!" James assured him, and Charlie beamed.

"Where are we going next?" Bill asked John, who looked to his little brother and his friends.

"What would you guys like to do?"

"Well I wouldn't mind going to a clothing store…or a bookstore," said Lily.

"Bookstore! Definitely bookstore!" Remus and Sirius said together. Lily grinned evilly and said,

"Oh that's too bad…Rachel and I were going to try on lingerie. Oh well…" All four of the boys' eyes widened and Sirius said,

"Did I say bookstore? I definitely meant clothing…"

"Too late," Lily smiled sweetly. "The bookstore it is!" John led them (rather disappointedly now) to the bookstore, which held not only books, but games, puzzles, movies, and CD's. The last two fascinated the non muggle borns immensely, and they were very disappointed that the cottage didn't have a 'Telly-V' or a 'disco machine'.

Instead, they contented themselves with looking through all the games while Lily and Remus immersed themselves in the shelves of books. James and Rachel joined them after a while, and Sirius and John took the three boys back to the children's books. They emerged an hour later, bearing fantasy novels (they amused Lily now that she knew that there was more truth to them than the authors realized), a history of Ireland (history greatly interested both Rachel and James; their fathers and Rachel's mother had gotten them into it at a very young age), _The Game of Things _(Sirius was fascinated with the muggle games, and Lily had assured him that this was worth it), and a few children's books to read to Bill, Charlie and Percy at night.

"So is it lingerie time?" James asked with a grin as they left the bookstore, and Lily and Rachel rolled their eyes.

"Not in front of the children, James!" Sirius said in mock horror, looking at Bill and Charlie who were busy tugging on John's arms, begging him to take them to the Banshee for lunch. This was a definite no go, however, as the Banshee was a night club and bar, not a family restaurant. John had promised to take the teenagers on a night that he, Gideon and Fabian all had off, and no arm pulling had been required.

"We'll save the clothes shopping for another time," Lily said.

"Wow you aren't putting up a fuss about going clothes shopping?" James said to Rachel. "Are you turning into a _girl_?" Rachel glared daggers at James and punched him in the arm.

"Believe it or not, I am a girl, dumbass. And I do happen to like shopping. I just don't buy anything."

"Why not?"

"I have perfectly good clothes."

"Your jeans are ripped, and your converse are almost worn through," Lily pointed out. Rachel sighed exasperatedly and said,

"I don't care."

"Hm…you know how I said I would buy you ice cream if you let me French braid your hair? How about I'll buy you an entire meal if the next time we go shopping you buy an entire outfit."

"Deal."

"An outfit that I approve of." Rachel bit her lip, and considered the options for a moment before saying,

"Fine…"

"We'll need to get something to wear clubbing anyway," Lily pointed out.

"So who's ready for lunch?" John asked, coming back over with Charlie and Bill, both of whom seemed to be pleased at the prospect of lunch, whether or not it was at the Banshee or not. Bill took Lily's hand and began to chat happily to her, while Charlie did the same with Rachel.

"So where are we going?" Remus asked, taking a turn with the stroller.

"It's called the Golden Pot; we've been there a few times." They crossed the street, avoiding the cars that everyone but Lily were completely thrilled about seeing, and made their way into a very brightly colored restaurant.

"Hello," a girl of about 19 with a dark pixie cut greeted them, her eyes lighting up as she took in the sight of John, James, Sirius and Remus. "Welcome to the Golden Pot. Table for four? I mean, er…nine?"

"Nine would be excellent," John smirked. "And we'll need a high chair and two kids menus."

"Right, right of course," she said, smiling widely at John. "Right this way please." She led them toward a large table in the back, her hips swinging in a way that Lily deemed was quite unnatural, and placed the menus on the table."Anything I can get you guys to start off?"

"I would love a water…and your phone number," John said with a wink, and the girl smiled coyly. Lily and Rachel tried their hardest not to roll their eyes as the rest of them placed their drink orders. As soon as the girl left, Remus turned to John.

"Do you even _have_ a phone?"

"Yup! It's hard to pick up muggle chicks if you don't have a phone."

"You got a phone _just_ to pick up girls?" Rachel asked in disbelief.

"Yes ma'am."

"That's so—

"Genius!" Sirius said, cutting her off.

"Not the word I was going for," she said grumpily, and Lily rolled her eyes in agreement.

"Men," she said, shaking her head.

"Rachel, can you please read the menu to me please?" Charlie asked, looking at the blonde with large, hopeful eyes.

"Of course sweetie…." Rachel and Lily helped the children with their menus gratefully, glad to get away from the flirting tactics the boys were discussing. The waitress returned shortly after with their drinks, and a few napkins (one of which bore her number).

"You're waitress will be right out," she promised, flashed John another smile, and left their table.

"Curse that Potter charm," Rachel muttered, and James, who was sitting to her left, heard her. He turned to her and grinned.

"Ah so you finally admit it…Potter's have charm!"

"Well John does," she said with a smirk.

"Damn straight!" John commented, not looking up from his menu.

"I am plenty charming!" James said indignantly. "Well maybe not to you…but if I wanted to be I could."

"Gee thanks," Rachel said sarcastically, turning back to her menu. "Glad to know you care about me so much." James, realizing how this had sounded, smiled sheepishly and gave her a one armed hug.

"I love you!"

"Yeah ok." Out of the corner of her eye Rachel saw John look at Sirius curiously. Luckily for John, she couldn't hear what he was saying.

"It's James isn't it."

"Huh?" Sirius asked, looking up from his menu at John, who was sitting to his right. James and Rachel were on the opposite side of the table, now engrossed in a Quidditch conversation with Remus and Lily. Bill and Charlie were telling each other what they were going to order in excited voices. John knew this conversation would be private, so he continued.

"I know Rachel better than any girl I've ever met. I've suspected on occasion before, but I never _actually _thought…but it makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Sirius asked, hoping John hadn't figured it out.

"Rachel has a thing for James…she was always better at covering it up, but now that she's in such an emotional and vulnerable place in her life, it's harder to keep her emotions in check, which is why she doesn't want to talk to anyone about her parents. She's afraid of spilling _everything_ that's hurting her. And now the combination of everything is just bringing her down."

"You'll have to ask her."

"You don't deny it."

"It's not my place to confirm anything."

"Don't worry, you aren't betraying Rachel's trust. I figured it out. And what's got your panties in a twist now?" John asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't wear panties," Sirius snapped, bristling at the accusation.

"Ok, how about what's got your broomstick patterned boxers in a twist?" John amended, and Sirius scowled. "Ah…I know. You're pissed that even though you know about her thing for James, Rachel still won't talk to you about her family."

"Are you psychic or something?" Sirius sighed, not bothering to lie. It was always useless around John.

"No, I'm just awesome," John said with a grin. "And I have to admit, I wonder why she won't either…"

"Because she wants to talk to _James," _Sirius said bitterly. "Not me. She'll only talk to me after she talks to him. That's how it's always worked."

"Someone sounds jealous," John smirked.

"Please. Me? Jealous? I only get jealous when the Slytherins get cream puffs at their table and we don't," Sirius scoffed. John snorted and said,

"Yeah right. You're smitten with her, aren't you?"

"John, get your head out of your ass," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "I don't get smitten with women. I just get them, and then after I've gotten them, I get them out as soon as possible."

"Any woman would be lucky to have you," Lily said dryly, overhearing the last part of their conversation.

"Of course they would," Sirius smirked, ignoring the sarcasm. "And if I have anything to say about it, our waitress will be one of the lucky many."

They enjoyed the rest of the meal together, private conversations aside (except for Sirius' conversation with their waitress, during which he got her number after begging John to allow him to use his phone), but overall the focal point of attention was on the three youngest boys. The Hogwarts students learned that Bill and Charlie were both fans of the Irish Quidditch team, that Bill liked reading to Charlie and Percy at night instead of being read to, and that Charlie liked animals of all shapes and sizes, not just dragons. Both boys were proud of their older brother status, and wanted Molly to have more children, especially because their parents had told them they could name the next baby if she got pregnant. Bill was set on the name George for a boy, while Charlie wanted the name to be Fred. Both of them agreed on Lucy for a girl.

Bill and Charlie, however, were also quite excited to learn that Lily, Sirius and Remus were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Charlie was thrilled that Rachel was just as avid an animal lover as he. Because of this, the next stop after lunch was the pet store, seeing as muggle towns didn't have Quidditch supply stores.

"Can I get a tarantula?" Bill asked John as they browsed through the aisles of different animals. John looked down at the six year old and said,

"What do you think?"

"No…"

"That's right."

"Is Molly adverse to pets? Or at least ones that don't have eight legs?" James asked.

"No, she just doesn't want Bill or Charlie getting one yet because she knows she'll end up being the one to take care of it."

"Not true," Bill pouted. "If we got a dog I would walk it."

"And would you pick up its poop?" John asked.

"Ewww no! That's gross!"

"My point exactly."

"Where did Rachel and Charlie go?" Remus asked, looking warily at a large snake that was staring right back at him.

"They're looking at the kittens," said Lily.

"I don't get why Charlie likes cats so much," said Bill. "I want a dog, but he wants a cat. Cats are _boring._"

"I don't know, cats can be pretty fun," Sirius grinned, and Remus and James rolled their eyes.

"Only when you're chasing them, you prat," Remus muttered in his ear.

"Oh shush Moony. Hey look at the Husky puppy…is that what you looked like when you were a little kid? Ow!" Sirius rubbed his arm where Remus had punched him. "Ass."

"That's what you get for comparing me to a dog," Remus said, and his face broke out into a grin. "Dogs are_ lame._"

"Take it back!"

"Make me," Remus said, grinning cheekily.

"I could…or we could go make fun of Prongs for the fact that no one ever wants to buy a deer."

"Padfoot, no one ever wants to buy a werewolf either…"

"Yeah, but that doesn't entail making fun of James."

"Good point." James was saved the ridicule from his friends, however, when Rachel and Charlie approached, a new addition to the group in Rachel's arms.

"You got a _cat?_" James gaped.

"You know I've always wanted one…" Rachel said sheepishly, cuddling a tiny black and white fur ball in her arms. "And when we were walking away he meowed at me…I felt so bad just leaving him. And if you don't adopt them…" she trailed off, remembering that they were in the presence of children.

"What happens?" Bill asked.

"The store owners—they take the animals home with them," Rachel lied, wincing at the utter ridiculousness of her excuse. Luckily the boys bought it and Charlie said,

"Wow, that's a lot of animals to take home!"

"That's why we have to adopt them," James said. "You already bought him?" Rachel nodded. "Well then, little guy, welcome to the group!" The group left the pet store in even better moods than before; even Sirius and Bill, the supposed cat haters, were fawning over the new addition. Apparently, the kitten was only six weeks old, and had been the runt of the litter, so he was extremely tiny.

As the group made their way down the main street, Bill and Charlie began to lose their energy, so the young adults decided it was time to head back to the cottage and put them down for a nap before dinner. Lily and Sirius took turns carrying Bill, John had Charlie, and Remus had the stroller, leaving James and Rachel to walk a little ahead of the group.

"So have you thought of any names?" James asked his best friend, and Rachel looked down at her kitten thoughtfully.

"I think I'm gonna name him after a character of something," she said.

"Book, play…"

"I dunno…just a character I love. Like Aragorn."

"Aragorn? For a cat?" James asked skeptically.

"It was just an example."

"If you're gonna go with Lord of the Rings, try Pippin. Or Frodo. Oh, how about Sauromon!"

"Ok, first off, my cat is not evil. Second of all, if Aragorn is too much, Sauromon definitely is. Let's keep Pippin on the table though, I like that."

"How about Achilles?"

"Wow, change of direction, but also a good one. Rhett?"

"Rhett…"

"Butler. Gone With the Wind?"

"Rach, you know I don't read chick books."

"Yeah I know. Plus he's not really a Rhett anyway.

"Huckleberry?"

"Oh God no, I hated that book. Hercules?"

"Definitely in the top 3," said James. "Romeo?"

"A little cliché, but I like it."

"How about Dracula?" James suggested. Rosie just raised an eyebrow and lifted the kitten up so he was face to face with John. The kitten purred and licked James' nose. "Ok, maybe Dracula isn't very fitting."

"Did that cat just bite James' nose?" Sirius asked in shock. Lily looked at him and began to laugh.

"No you idiot, he licked him!"

"I don't trust it," Sirius said skeptically.

"Why do you hate cats so much?"

"I just…do."

"Or you're secretly an animagus, and feel like enjoying the presence of a cat would be betraying your animal form, which of course is a dog." Sirius stopped midstride and gaped at Lily.

"_What?_"

"Please, I'm not stupid."

"How long have you known?" Sirius asked, not bothering to deny it. He respected Lily and her intelligence too much to do that.

"I've suspected for a while, but I've known for certain since the whole fiasco with Severus last year," Lily said brusquely, not liking to broach the subject of her former best friend. "I obviously didn't talk to _him _about it, but there's not many ways in which you, James and Peter could have handled that situation without getting yourselves or Severus hurt in the presence of a werewolf if you were all human. So I asked Rachel what her opinion was, and you know what a terrible liar she is."

"Wait, Rachel knows too?"

"I thought you guys told her," Lily said, confused. "She already knew."

"Huh. We never told anyone…but that's beside the point. You aren't going to turn us in though, are you?"

"Of course not! It may be against the law to be unregistered," she began in the sort of 'you should really register yourselves' voice, but continued in a normal tone. "But you're doing it to help your friend, which I think is very admirable…not to mention fully trained and graduated wizards haven't been able to manage turning into an animagus, and you guys have been able to do so since what…the beginning of sixth year?"

"Fifth, actually."

"Even more impressive. Does Dumbledore know?"

"Probably, knowing Dumbledore," Sirius snorted. "But we haven't actually told him. Are you kidding? If he let it slip to McGonagall, she would probably have our heads for dinner."

"Or be extremely impressed," Lily said. "She is your transfiguration professor, after all."

"I'd rather not find out what her reaction would be though," said Sirius. "If there's one place I don't want to be, it's McGonagall's bad side. Or Japan, but that's beside the point." Lily did a double take and looked at Sirius oddly.

"What's wrong with Japan?"

"I don't like sushi," Sirius said simply. Lily laughed and said,

"All right, I understand that…it is rather gross. The only thing I eat raw is brownie batter."

"Not cookie dough?" Sirius asked, shifting Bill's sleeping form slightly in his arms.

"I'm actually not big on cookie dough."

"And here I thought it was mandatory for women to like cookie dough…"

"Why would you think that?" Lily snorted.

"I thought it was a necessary part of 'girls nights'."

"Huh?"

"You know, a bunch of girls sitting around in their underwear talking about boys—more specifically us Marauders—having pillow fights, the occasional make-out session, and eating cookie dough. Girls nights."

"Your knowledge of women astounds me," Lily said dryly. "FYI, 'girls nights' don't normally involve pillow fights or lesbian love play."

"_What?_" Sirius asked, horrified at the thought his fantasies might not truly exist.

"I take it back, I take it back! Of course they do…sometimes there's even chocolate syrup involved…" Lily lied, and Sirius began to breathe normally again. She patted him comfortingly on the back. "Better?" Sirius nodded, still recovering from his shock. "Good." The cottage came into view as they crossed over a hill, and John joined Sirius and Lily.

"Home sweet home," John smiled, albeit a little sarcastically. He loved the cottage, but it still wasn't home to him; home would always be the house he grew up in. "After Molly and Arthur get back, want to head to the beach? I don't think it's supposed to rain today." As if on cue, a loud rumble of thunder boomed overhead, and Sirius laughed.

"You forgot to knock on wood."

"Just kidding," John said, cracking a smile. "We might want to walk faster if we want to avoid the rain, though." The entire group took John's advice, and just as they were putting the boys down for a nap, the heavens opened up and dumped on them. The sound of the rain was comforting, however, as Remus lit a fire and the six friends gathered in front of it, warming themselves and playing with Pippin, listening to James gloat about the fact Rachel had chosen one of his suggestions for a name for the kitten, telling John funny stories from their year at Hogwarts, swapping the latest media gossip, and enjoying each others company.

**Tada! Please oh please review-I'll be so very grateful!**


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